SHOW & GO

York, Pennsylvania’s Jesse Houseman is a genuine Ford man. In addition to owning an ’89 convertible 5.0, an ’04 F-150 and, previously, an ’89 LX 5.0, he built the stunning ’88 LX you see here.  He did almost all of the work himself, starting with a four-cylinder donor car in poor shape and transforming it into a show car with racecar performance—or is it the other way around?

Houseman began modifying his car with the body first. One thing that’s obvious to anyone who’s taken a look at late-model Mustang show cars is that most owners are more interested in adding parts than fixing what’s already there. Not so with this owner, who began the arduous task of filling and smoothing the 100-plus unused holes and spot welds present in the engine compartment. The result is an extremely smooth appearance that provides a great background for those components that are new. Notching the core support was necessary to fit the Be Cool radiator. Exterior modifications include a shaved antenna and a modified front bumper. Normally the LX features the word “Mustang” molded into the nose, but on this car only “Stang” is present—it’s a subtle touch, but one that shows how much thought and work the owner put into his ride. Other changes include the addition of a Cervini’s 4-inch fiberglass cowl hood and a Cervini’s Cobra grille. In back, a ’93 Cobra grille sits on the decklid. When Houseman completed his work he took the car to Greg Keiffer in York, Pennsylvania, for paint. Keiffer coated the car in PPG Performance Red, and this is the color you see in your head when you picture a red Mustang. The paint and bodywork beneath it both contribute to the ultra-slick appearance—this ’88 may be the cleanest Fox you’ll ever see.

Beneath the incredible appearance lies a strong suspension, necessary in light of the engine the owner had planned. Upgrades start with the HAL tubular K-member in place of the heavier, stamped original piece. Tubular  A-arms connect to SN95 spindles in order to give the LX a 5×4.5-inch bolt pattern, opening up additional wheel and brake upgrades. Houseman made his choice and selected Bullitt calipers with drilled 13-inch rotors, then covered them in polished 17×9-inch Cobra R wheels. Each front wheel wears a 245/45R17 Kumho Supra tire, which grabs the road with the aid of HAL coilovers and Maximum Motorsports camber/caster plates.

Replacing the wimpy 7.5-inch axle with the stronger 8.8 was a no-brainer, and the owner added a 31-spline Cobra Trac-Lok differential, 3.73 gears and five-lug axles to complete the rearend. Cobra 12-inch disc brakes cap each end of the axle, and another set of 17×9-inch Cobra R wheels wrapped in 245/45R17 Nitto drag radials grips the asphalt.

The engine Houseman selected for his LX is a ’69 351W block bored and stroked to 377 cubic inches. A Scat crank, Scat rods and JE 10:1 pistons make up the rotating assembly, and the Comp Xtreme Energy cam with .520/.523 lift and 230/236 duration rounds out the list of internal components. Air Flow Development ported and polished the AFR 185 heads, and the intake manifold uses a first-gen Lightning lower intake with a Hogan sheetmetal upper intake. An intercooled Procharger F-1 supercharger feeds 12 pounds of boost into the Accufab 75mm throttle body; 60-pound injectors supply the fuel and MSD ignition lights the mixture. Hooker long-tube headers get rid of the exhaust, and the engine produces a total of 525 hp and 565 lb-ft of torque. This power feeds through a Tremec TKO2 five-speed manual and Spec Stage 3 clutch.

The engine looks good, too, thanks to a variety of dressup components. Just about everything under the hood is polished or chromed, including the Granatelli sheetmetal valve covers, Procharger blower, Hogan intake, Accufab throttle body, alternator, water pump, air tube, upper water hose and more. The Be Cool radiator adds extra shine, and combined with the ultra-smooth inner fenders this engine really stands out.

The owner applied the same theme to the interior—cleanliness and simplicity—that he applied to the car’s exterior. A pair of leather buckets from an ’03 GT sits in front of the rollcage, which is painted to match the exterior. Door bars and five-point Simpson harnesses protect the driver and passenger and make it easier for Houseman to focus on the Grant steering wheel and Pro 5.0 shifter. The black dash contains a set of Auto Meter Phantom gauges, with three additional Phantom gauges in the A-pillar and a Phantom tach atop the dash. Billet accessories include the A/C controls, E-brake handle, shifter handle, window switches and door handles.  

The rear seats are gone, and opening the hatch instead reveals a sub box containing two 12-inch Kicker Solo Baric subs. Twin Alpine V12 amps are sunk into the floor behind the box. Additional speakers include Alpine 6.5-inch mids and tweeters, and an Eclipse touch screen DVD head unit controls the system.

Jesse Houseman’s ’88 Mustang LX is one of a kind. It shies away from many of the wilder modifications that many show car owners make, keeping this little red LX as the freshest, cleanest Fox you’re ever likely to see. It’s done well at shows, too, earning Best Engine awards at World Ford Challenge 9, the Carlisle All Ford Nationals and many Best of Class awards at Fun Ford Weekends and NMRA events. But Houseman’s car is much more than just a show car—he built his car to be stout, going far beyond cosmetic engine upgrades to build a genuinely strong and capable motor. The suspension components provide plenty of handling, too—in short, this is one of the most well-rounded late-model Mustangs we’ve seen. We hope you’ve been taking notes.